Operation Impending Truth
by JTtheWarden
Summary: Several years pass since Zim's arrival, and former enemies have a grudging friendship and a comforting routine. Then a Soldier appears in Dib's kitchen, with a mission to remove Zim from the planet. Dib can hand him over or run from the Armada.
1. Who the Hell Are You?

_**Somewhere out in deep space.…**_

"Units three and ten, 147-N is coming your way!! Take blocking action! Do not let her escape!" came the outraged voice of the Red Tallest over the intercomms link. Several large Voot Boosters were racing about, trying to stop the smaller Voot Bruiser from escaping them. The ship fired three times, and three ships were rendered immobile and their shocked voices enraged the Tallest, who hovered tensely at the Massive's docking station windows.

"Sir... she's hit the rocket boosters! We can't move!" Red cursed and pounded the console in frustration. He regretted teaching her to fly so damned well.

"Units five, seven, six! Fire at will!!" he yelled, and his eyes fairly blazed with fury. None of the three units fired, it was as if they were hesitant. Didn't they comprehend the gravity of the situation? They couldn't let sentimentality get in the way of duty and the protection of everything they'd strived for over the last few years! "Fire!! Now!"

"Sir, we can't fire on her! Her ship is unstable!! She'll be killed!" Damn her and those loyal to her! Damn her!

"FIRE, you fools, before she engages Hyper-drive!!" Purple yelled, unable to believe the stupidity of their troops. They fired, but by the time their shots reached her, she'd fired up her H-Drive and had vanished. Both Tallests cursed loudly and exuberantly.

An empty room, white and blank. It seemed to stretch on forever, though when he glanced out of the corner of his eye, Dib could see the walls. When he looked at them dead-on, however, they vanished. A voice called to him insistently, begging that he come back. It was a familiar voice, one he knew and both hated and loved to hear. It was Zim's voice, and as much as he hated the alien monster, he had come to realize that he was, in fact, his best friend. He was always there to help him defend the planet from outside forces, and they worked best as a team. Fighting off Keef's affections, foiling Tak's constant attempts for the Earth, and warding off the Madness Dog from unsuspecting citizens. They had even teamed up to rescue Gaz from Iggins and his evil intentions. His voice told him that he did need him around, he did want his friendship, and the whole mission could go to pot if there was no challenge in it. The Tallests didn't seem to be in a hurry to claim his planet anyhow. Please, please forgive me. I didn't want it to be this way. Goodbye, and I hope you can achieve everything…..

"Zim?" he called, reaching out into the white shadows. "Zim? Is that you? Wait!" He stumbled through the expanse, trying hard to breathe. The air seemed to be dwindling down to nothing he could use very rapidly. "Zim?"

"No, moron. It's me. Wake up, we're gonna be late. It's already 7:14," the voice said, though it had changed. More feminine, and much more evil. He gasped and with an impressive crash, fell out of the room and into the waking world. He squinted around his room, then discovered his glasses and his vision was restored. "About time. Get ready to go, Dib." Gaz left the room soundlessly, and he chuckled under his breath despite his initial confusion. She had only gotten more dangerous since the Iggins episode. He supposed it was her fighting the feeling of gratitude. Iggins wasn't the only guy he'd kicked out of his sister's life, she just didn't know it. She was rather pretty, and there was a whole new generation of guys now that they were in High Skool together. Ah, well. Odd dream, but it hadn't been the first. He couldn't shake the feeling of doom lately, and it all revolved around Zim.

"Shit," he muttered, noting the time. "Well, Mrs. Stuiles is just like Ms. Bitters, so tardiness is not an option," he scolded himself, then began his daily routine, but in speed mode. Thirty-two and three-quarter minutes later, he was heading downstairs to inhale some breakfast and trudge to Skool. As he reached the bottom step, Gaz's voice floated from the kitchen.

"Dib, there's someone here to see you," she said, sounding highly unhappy to deliver this news to him. He walked into the kitchen, and suddenly the bottom dropped out from his endless loop of a life. An Irken stood there, at least she seemed Irken. She was about his height, and her antennae lay flat against her head. Her eyes were a bluish-green color, and very narrow as she stared at him. Her uniform looked nothing like Zim's, as it was black and form-fitting. She wore oversized gloves with metal knuckles fitted between her own knuckles, and even more enormous boots with metal coverings. Her waist was encircled by a floating belt and a sleek gun-like weapon was holstered there.

"Finished with your assessment, Dib?" she asked coldly, and Gaz smirked behind her coffee cup. "According to my data, you are familiar with the Irken Zim. Correct?" He nodded, his pulse beginning to speed up. "I was unable to track his base, he seems to have finally discovered what a cloaking signal is for. Just in time for me to lose him. You will tell me how to find him, or be tried by Control as an impeder of an Irken Soldier in the line of emergency duty. Zim has been here far too long. He doesn't belong here, and it's my unhappy job to remove him." Dib went cold, and he gulped down the golf ball-sized lump in his throat.

"Remove? In what way, because I don't think…" he faltered, seeing her expression darken. "Unauthorized access of data?" he asked timidly. She smirked and Gaz coughed, none too subtly.

"Skool, right, sorry Gaz. Look, I can't…" he sighed. "Don't spread this around, but he's my friend. I'm not about to hand him over to every Irken who demands retribution, or his services, or whatnot. Gaz and I have places to be, so sorry I can't help you." he gave a semi-polite bow, grabbed a cereal bar and his backpack, and left the house, Gaz at his side. "Go ahead and laugh if you want," he snapped at Gaz. "He's been there for years now, fighting and aiding me. Laugh all you like, I don't give a fuck. We did kick Iggins' ass, so we do at least deserve some credit." he sighed and winced. "Sorry, please don't castrate me…" When no pain was felt, he turned to look at her. Her expression was distant, and she almost smiled.

"You did. Thanks, I guess," she muttered, and he grinned. More than he had hoped for, certainly. "Tell anyone and you're dead," she said, a moment later, and he bit down the laugh that tried to bubble up to the surface.


	2. Hey, Look! There's Gir

"Dib?" The cafeteria was as loud as it usually was on Mustard and Grain Soup Day, so Zim had to repeat himself a time or two as his friend played with his meal. "DIB!" Dib looked up at the Irken slowly, still a bit unsettled by his new disguise. It was more convincing now, and attractive to boot. He had a more emoish wig, and it had a slightly purple tinge to it. He had abandoned his uniform for a t-shirt with a random band on it each day, and he now wore PANTS. He ever had a nose and ears, which nobody seemed to question. Of course. Dib had nearly been unable to recognize him the first day, but he did like this version better. It was more… no, no. Bad thoughts. Where had that one even come from? Never mind, it wasn't important. "Dib! Again!" Zim insisted, tapping him with the spork provided that day. "What's on your overlarge mind? You seem distracted today. Even more than when Tak tried her new disguise, that one girl thing. The dancer one." He snickered at Dib's blush, then tapped him again. "Out with it, human. I am Zim, I can tell when you're thinking. You don't act when you're thinking."

"Well…" he hesitated. "This morning, there was this Irken in my house. Not Tak, either. Some Soldier I've never seen. She wore no disguise, either. She wanted to know where you were, and she said she was here to remove you. She wouldn't say how, but she did say you didn't belong here. She said I'd be tried by Control for.. Impeding.. Something… if I didn't tell her how to find you, but I.." He tried to tell the Irken boy, but the words wouldn't form. He glanced up at Zim and cocked his head to the side. "What's up? Now who's distracted?" Zim shook his head slightly.

"Well, Gir received information that an Irken was on their way here last night. He put up the defenses and the signal blocker thing and... Speak of the demon-hog-beast!" A slim, green-haired boy joined them at the table, looking nervous. "Report?"

"They're here. They want you. Two Sirs came by the base today, and the gnomes managed to drive them off, but the defenses can't hold out much longer. Irken technology wasn't meant to keep out other Irken technology. That's why Tak and Mimi keep getting in." he tugged at his green and black jacket, highly on edge. "I may have been followed. Keep an eye out. Good to see you, Dib," he added. Dib nodded in acknowledgement.

"Damn that," Zim growled. "Keep the shields up and the gnomes at high-risk until I get home, ok? If things get rough, go to Dib's and send me a transmission so I can meet you there. If Dib's isn't safe either, meet us here. Inform Dib, Gaz, and myself. Instructions encoded?" The human Gir nodded, then grinned his old grin. Zim sighed theatrically. "Permission given to go raving, so long as my instructions are carried out," he said, and Gir shrieked in joy and ran out of the room. Dib chuckled as he shoved his plate in the opposite direction of Gaz, who sat enveloped in her Virtual GS world. After that morning, it was best not to enrage her. Zim shook his head. "At least his behavior is semi-under control, though it is like raising a freewill Smeet with no encoding in its pak. I am not really the fatherly type." Dib nodded, grinning. They both knew the jokes were just a front. Both boys were worried about the new arrival. More than one Sir, no urge to wear a disguise in the presence of a human, and a Soldier to top it all off. Tak they could handle, but this was unfamiliar.

"Any plans yet?" Dib asked. Zim sighed, and shook his head. Dib found himself missing the routine and its comforting rhythm. At least it was safe.

"Well, now what? Where do we go now?" Dib asked, as he paced the sidewalk in front of the Skool. "She's still at my house, monitoring, right Gir?" The android nodded, disguised once again as a human. "There was still one Sir unit at your base, so now we have to keep an eye out for the other one. Do you have anyplace we can go, Gaz? Zim? Anyone? Because we're very fucking vulnerable out here in the open and we have NO FUCKING WEAPONS." Dib's left eye began to twitch slightly, as his pacing increased. Gaz growled and pulled three tazer shooters from her pockets.

"Here, genius. You really think I go around without a weapon since Iggins captured me? Thanks for the faith in my abilities." She handed each boy a shooter and produced another one for herself. "They're all modified so that they cause the max amount of pain without actually killing the target. But don't accidentally shoot yourself, or you'll be out cold for at least twelve minutes. You can adjust the shot settings with your thumb, from short burst to extended range blast. Aim carefully and don't hesitate." She spun it on her forefinger and tucked it into her leather studded belt expertly. "I picked the extras up this morning when the Soldier appeared in our kitchen." Dib stared at his sister as she tucked her hair behind her ears and unrolled her pants legs down and tucked them into her studded boots. She looked almost like the Irken Soldier girl. Zim slowly began to smile as he stared at her, then she glared at him and the smile faded.


	3. That Happens A Lot

Here it is, the third chapter. It proves how not good I am at fight scenes, but do try to enjoy!!

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"We may not have anywhere in particular to go yet, but we at least have transportation there. I asked Gir to retrieve both my ship and your ship. We can at least escape to another planet." He motioned for them to follow him as he walked around the Skool and towards where they delivered the lunchroom food. The ships hovered there, waiting for their pilots, semi-hidden behind a dumpster. "Once we're inside the ships, begin searching for a hospitable planet to serve as a temporary base of operations." He and Gir boarded the Cruiser as Gaz led the way to Tak's old ship, and she and Dib strapped themselves in. "Can you read me? Start looking for a planet," Zim instructed over the TransComm Box. Gaz sighed.

"Dib, we're not leaving the planet. We can't. The Soldier will keep hunting us, she's got us on her tracking system. Zim and Gir are safe for now, so we can't go with them." She pressed the transmit button on the TransComm Box. "Zim, you locate a planet. We'll meet you there later, we need supplies first. Be careful, take care of Gir, and use your damn stealth coating. That's what it's there for." She released the button and steered the ship upwards, activating its stealth coating. They soared over the city, heading away from their house and Zim's base. An alarm started beeping as another ship rose into the air from behind them and accelerated towards them. "Dib, raise the shields! Press these buttons in order: blue, yellow, red, purple, red, blue, black, and then pull the lever beside them all the way down. Now!" Gaz ordered, and Dib hurriedly complied with her demands. He started to twitch and hyperventilate as he watched the other ship come closer.

"What do we do? She's a Soldier! She's probably well-trained! And what if we do escape? They might bring down the entire Armada on our heads! We can't fight them all! Where can we hide? You said she's tracking us, so what are we doing? What can we-" a slap from his sister broke off his growing hysteria. He stared at her in shock.

"We can't waste time with your severe lack of self-control, Dib. If she is a well-trained killing machine, we'll have to kill her first or at least divert her attention from Zim. Computer!" Gaz piloted the ship with skill and cursed as a bright green energy blast struck the ship. "Shields at max! Dib, strap in, it's gonna be rough!" Gaz clenched her teeth as she tried to dodge the shots from their pursuer, then swerved to miss a tree.

"Gaz, head up! You're flying too low, even if you are a good pilot!" Dib warned, aiming a lazer blaster for their enemy. "Wait.. Gaz, she's firing stun blasts! Are the shields still up?" Gaz growled in frustration and shot a stun blast backwards, hoping she hit something. They flew upwards, winding around, dodging any stray bees and the ship that was catching up at an alarming pace. They exchanged more stun blasts, several hitting the shield and several hitting the enemy's shield. Gaz roared her fury as she guided their vessel further away from the Skool and Zim, and she shrieked as a blast hit them.

"SHIT! Dib, she's hit the weakest point of our shields! Damn it, nobody ever hits that on accident! She's damned good. Got your weapon?" Dib shouted his confirmation and she jerked the controls sharply to the left. "We're gonna crash! Hold on to something!" Dib latched onto his seat as Gaz flared up the deflector shields to soften the impact, and they skidded along for several yards into a park. Gaz coughed as the alarms silenced themselves and the dust began to settle.

"Gaz, are you ok?" Dib asked, unstrapping himself from the co-pilot seat. Gaz groaned and coughed again, waving her arm in the air as a sign that she was ok. Dib froze as he heard the enemy ship land just outside their own wrecked vessel. "Gaz, get up, she's here!" Dib pulled his sister to her feet and they armed themselves, jaws set in determination. "Gaz, what do we do?" Dib hissed, nervously. "I have no aim!" She shushed him and opened the hatch, where stood the Soldier and a small android. Both were armed and wore nearly identical frowns.

"Humans, you have caused me to actually put forth some effort into this mission." She smirked, and the android looked up at her, puzzled. "I commend you. How is it you came by this ship? This is Tak Felin's ship, is it not?" Dib nodded and Gaz growled. "I see. We are not to become allies. But your aid I still require, therefore we must come to some sort of understanding. What payment do you need in order for me to obtain the information I need?" Dib's jaw dropped in astonishment.

"What kind of heartless bitch are you that you expect me to just tell you where my best friend is? You really think I'm gonna let you kill him? He's not just.. I won't… You're just gonna have to…" Dib stammered in anger, his grip tightening on the weapon. Gaz laid a hand on his shoulder gently and he silenced, releasing his grip on the shooter. The Soldier raised a non-existant eyebrow, her expression again matching that of her Sir.

"Kill? Human, I never said kill. I said remove, and you jumped to the most unpleasant conclusion. Please, set the weapons down, Donir and I have no reason to fight you." Dib blinked at her, and Gaz shot him a look of growing exasperation. Both holstered their weapons and turned to face the Soldier. She sighed and shook her head. "You really don't know, do you? Zim… is not supposed to even be alive. As his friend, you have to understand and help me before he is discovered! He is marked for annihilation, and they never stop until their target is eliminated!" She began to pace back and forth, stepping over her Sir. "We haven't much time. They'll be here within the month."

"Maybe you'd better sit down and we can talk. Your ship, as ours is… bad… at the moment?" Gaz interrupted, waving her hand at the Irken. Dib stared at her again, blinking twice. "It seems my idiot brother has opted not to find out why you're here or even who you are. He does tend to forget the importance of these things," she said, and the Soldier turned to her android and they conversed silently. "And I just went along with you, you paranormal dork," she murmured dangerously, turning to her brother.

"When did you become a diplomat? Usually you demand and your demands are met," Dib muttered to his sister. "You have your own arsenal instead of relying on your intimidation, you're helping me, and you and Zim are almost like friends. Who are you, and where is my scary sister? Has the entire world gone mad?" Gaz smirked humorlessly.

"That happens sometimes," she said, as the Irken Soldier gestured for them to follow her to her ship. The human siblings trailed after her, escorted by what was presumably Donir. "The only things you ever noticed were Zim and anything paranormal. Not abnormal, just paranormal. You didn't notice when Zita died, or when Mr. Elliot went psychotic and tried to kill my entire class, or when Dad broke his arm trying to… ah, whatever. Yeah, the world's gone mad. That happens a lot. You just never notice when it does."

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I'm rather fond of that last line. The fourth is in progress, for those of you who may be reading this. Reviews would be lovely, dear readers!!


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